Rifle demonstrator



June 5, 1923.

J. G. P. STOKES RIFLE DEMONSTRATOR Filed Aug. 1, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet l .1. s. P. STOKES RIFLE DEMONSTRATOR June 5, 1923.

Filed Au. 1, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 UTORIEY Famed June 5,1923. 1,457,4Q7j '1 3am: nwmwar ms rmre. wims, 1m! $9315 1. we? Pee qweeme Application i iled August 1, 1921. Serial no, 488,757. mix; "41:1 1.. 1M4; i9 ifs" ,The pin paw ratchet b is so desi the space betweeen successive teet corresponds to a unit an le of movement of the arm.

that movement of the pawl over each tooth of the ratchet gives forth' a sharp click and thus constitute an annunciator by which the rifleman or the gun pointer can readily determine the required traverse in one direc- .iion or, theother to correct a knownor estimated error onlthe target. 7 Supportedat one end in the yoke c by trunnionsd' is a cradle d. At the other end the cradle cl is provided with trunnions d l which are received in a yoke d.- In order that the rifle, which is supported by the eradle d ias hereinafter described, may be elevated orndepressed as desired, regardless ofthe traverse, the yoke d is mounted on the upper end of a screw d, which is mounted in, a nut (2 supported 1) the arm cgwiThe nut d is ,provided with a hand wheel and with a pin pawl d, the latter engaging a ratchet d which is fixed on the screw d,,the latter being held to the yoke d vso that it cannot rotate. The collar d at tached to ;nut dis, graduated for registration with a 'mark on the bearing 6'' of the nut in the arm a, so that the elevation of the rifle can, be registered, .as well as the ,traverse. In the same manner as in the case at the traversing devices above described,

the distance betweeen the trunnions a? and d'fbears'a definite relation to adetermined A istance from the muzzle and; the p tch (if t e screw dis such that the movement'of the hand wheel d through a given unit angle produces an elevation] or depression of the muzzle through a corresponding 40 11111.1; an le. The angle'of movement of the W Gel and nut is; indicated by the m graduatedscale and the teeth of the ratchet q d are-spaced in correspondence with the V v graduated v sca e, so that the} pawl and Ratchet ,opnstitute an annunciator to guide the r fl manor gun-pointer .in. elevating or Th dl Sz h b i s L e "r? e su ports in t e earin s dg, s6. that? t shall e free for longitddinalmovement therein but held from rotation, ther ecoilbar e, which receives, between the forward hearing d; an an adjustable nut e, V i on a cylindrical portion of the bar, grecoil spr ng e the adjustment of the nut e recoil baralso receives a the utt support or socket j which is secured .to 3116,1281,

it support takes the place of the shoulder of the human frame. It is pro- 0 i and tiirpug which the the recoil bar and is at. the time of firing recoilistransmitted taken up by the reand ratchet are so designed iorregulation of the tension of partially the stock of the rifle and having its ends secured toupper and lower adjusting bolts f by means of which the stock of the rifle can be held firmly against the cushion ff, the stock being capable of being rocked upon the cushion, by taking up more or less on one or the other of the bolts 7 so that the rifle can be held firmly with the vstock in a truly vertical position or, if itbe desired to demonstrate the efiect of holding the rifle:with the stock canted in one direction or the other. The bolts f are passed loosely through the. side plate f" of the buttsupport or socket f and are engaged by nuts f resilient pads or members f being interposed bet'weeen the nuts and sleeves 7 which bear with a knife edge against the side plate so that, at the moment of recoil, the strap can yield rearwardly with the rifle butt. The side plate is slotted as at f for the reception of t the bolt can be pushed into place when the strap has been thrown across the butt, the

e upper bolt i so that v i side plate beingalso provided with a shoulv fit upon the small of the stock, to which is secured, at each side, one of the endsof a strap and cord h, the members of which are led over guide pulleys h, mounted on the ,butt sup ort f, while the bight is engaged by a pul ey h The latter is mounted in a yoke htwhich is carried by a threaded spindle h enga g'edby a nut h? mounted in a bearing I also carried by the butt support f. The nut is provided with a hand wheel h and as ring h is interposed between the hub o the hand wheel and the bearing so that the strap and cord k is held always under tension and the rifle butt is heldyieldingly against the support. o The tension ofrthe spring can be regulated by rotation of the nut. I

The rifle is also held down by another strap-i which is" connected toa suitable spring tightening device mounted in a guideway formed on a block which isv secured to the recoil bar. By such means the rifie is held down firmly but yieldingly; In the which are secured to the sad e h, is looped spring 11 a'ndis guided freel on a stem i which has fixed thereon a co ar 11 forming y 7 a. arrangement shown the stra z, the ends of I ci-gr-glde wlfl -epadf gg mst which the butt V i g p es about a plate i' which bears against a spiral a key carried 1 rmor:

the'aabutment for the spring 2'. The strap slotted to straddle stem i Above th collar 2" the stem is screw-threaded as at i for engagement withrthe threaded opening of a spiral gear i which is :held from movement .in' an axial direction by a cap 2 which is (threaded into the end ofa uide piece 6" fixed on the recoil bar e. T e screw threaded portion 2" of the stem is also formed -,.with a-keyway for engagement by the cap i or 21 thereby so that the stem is held from rotation. The spiral gear i is engaged by a corresponding spiral gear 2' on a shaft 6 which is mounted in hearings on the guide piece 4' and is provided with a hand wheel i". In this manner the stra i is held yieldingly and its tension can be regulated at will.

.Ailso fixed on the recoil bar e, at its forward end, is a forward support]: which takes the place of the left'h'andof the rifleman. It is formed with a fork Ia, having parallel sides whichare spaced apart suf- 'fici'ently to receive freely between them, so that it is movable in a vertical direction, the fore-end of the rifle. The rifle is resiliently supportedrests upon a spring 1: "which is secured to the support and is provided with an vadjusting screw is. At its {rec end the spring 76 receives a roller 70 on which the rifle and below the free end of the spring is mounted an adjustable contact screw in which is normally out of contact with the spring. The contact screw is in 'cluded in circuit with an annunciator k and batteryk, which is grounded on some con-- yenient parttof theapparatus. lifyby an imgroper trigger pull,'the muzzle of the rifle is e pressed, circuit will be closed through the annunciator by contact between the spr ng k' and the screw 70 and the fact of the 1mproper trigger pull will be thereby indi- It will be understood that the term annunciator is used herein in its broad sense,

.' asa thing which announces or indicates the jnovement of the rifle under thcinfluenceof tinsteadiness of the shooter or an improper trigger pull.

The rifle is supported in the fork is, at

each-side, by a suitablybentspringk", which maybe fidJllStGd by a corresponding screw 'kf to regulate the-pressure against the l'lfle.

,side or theother, by reason of an improper itr'iggeripnll, will be indicated and brought to theattention of the shooter and the instructor. .It will be observed that each spring k is a long, flattened S-shape and by the use Of two such springs, one at each side, the rifle is held as rmly as it could be held by the hand and with pressure which can be adjusted readily by the screws 10 while yet the rifle can yield to one side or the other under the influence of an improper #1 trigger pull.

In the use of the apparatus'the rifler'is placed in position, with itsbutt in the socket or support f and its fore-end between the u, 5

usual manner and is then aimed by manipulation of the hand wheels 0 and d, the shooter laying his cheek against the left hand side of the rifle stockin the same manner as if he were holding the piece in his own grasp. The trigger is then s ueezed by Q5 the shooter and the rifle is fired; i an the hit is marked up the necessary corrections of range and elevations are made, either to correct error in sighting or to accommodate conditions,'each unit of error in either lateral or vertical displacement of point of impact from center of target be'ing'eorre by a corresponding unit of change iiithe lateral or vertical pointing of the rifle as.

measured by graduated scales 0 d. After each discharge, the recoil being taken up by the spring 0 the rifle is returned to the precise position occupied previous to firing. The measured corrections beingthen made, the next shot should hit the mark desired. Any defects in trigger squeeze being indicated by the annunciators, whether the piece be fired or not, the shooter should, by practice, quickly overcome his'errors in this regard. -lilrrors in-sighting by the rifleman become apparent at once ;to the instructor, who examines the sighting after it has been completed by the rifleman, and either before or after the piece has been discharged,

It will be understood. that theappaI- atus is capable fof-use at different ranges and under service conditions; It' will *adSQ'Ybe understood that various changes in details of construction] and arrangement can be made to suit difl'erent requirements and that the invention, exceptpointed out in thc claims, is not restricted'to the precise c onstruction and arrangement shown and described herein.

I claim as my invention: 7 1

1.. In an appara'tuslof the character described, the combination of'a buttsupport, a fore-end support, the fore-end support,'in

- which the rifle is movable in a vertical direction, including a spring upon which the rifle 1s yleldlngly supported or movement downward in a vertical direction, andmeans in operative relation with the fore end spring support to indicate a vertical movement of the fore-end of the rifle.-'

2. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the "combination of a butt support,

a fore-end su portend resilient means to hold the rifle own, the fore-end support in which the rifle is movable in a'vertical direction includin a spring upon which the rifle is yielding y supported for movement in a vertical direction.

:- 3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a butt support and a fore-end support, including a spring upon which the rifle is yieldingly supported and an 'annunciator actuated by movement of the spring.

4. In an apparatus of the character describehthe combination of a butt support,

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a butt support and a fore-end support, the fore-end support including a spring againstwhich the rifle may rest laterally,- and an annunciator in operative relation with the spring. 7 a

7. In an apparatus. of the character described, the combination of a butt support and a fore-end support, the fore-end support including a springagainst-which the rifle may rest laterally, an electrical contact in operativelrelation' with the spring and an electrical circuit including the contact and an annunciator.

8. Inan apparatus of the character described, the combination of a movable recoil bar, means to support the same, a

cushioned butt support carried by the recoil bar, and means to exert a rearward pull on the rifle to hold the rifle butt against the butt support. a

9. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a movable recoil bar, means to support the same, a butt support carried by the recoil bar, and yielding means to hold the rifle yieldingly against the butt support. 1 10. Inan apparatus of the character d scribed, the combination of a movable recoil bar, means to support the same, a butt support carried by the recoil bar, a saddle to enga against th bu ppo t 1 recoil bar.

the rifle stock, a strap extended rearwar ly from the saddle and means to tighten the strap to hold the rifle butt firmly to engage the rifle stock, a strap extended rearwar ly from the saddle-resilient means to hold the rifle butt resiliently against thebutt support, and means to adjust the tension of said resilient holding means.

13. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a recoil bar, a

butt support carried by the recoil bar, a foreend support carried by the recoil bar, and

means connected to the recoil bar and adapt-;

ed to engage the rifle to hold the same downward resiliently against the fore-end support.

14. In an apparatus of the character described,the combination of a recoil bar, a butt support carried by the recoil bar, a fore-end support carried by the recoil bar, resilient means connected to the recoil bar and adapted to engage the rifle to hold the same downward resiliently toward the recoil bar, andmeansto adjust the tension of said resilient means. a

15. In an apparatus of the character de-- scribed, the combinationof a recoil bar, a.

butt support carried byil the recoil bar, a fore-end support carried by the recoil bar, a saddle to engage therifle stock and connections between the saddle and the recoil bar to hold the rifle. downward toward the 16. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a recoil bar, a butt support carried b the recoil bar, a fore-endsuppo'rt carrie by the recoil bar,

a saddle 'to engag: the rifle stock and yielding.connections tween the saddle and the recoil bar to hold the rifle yieldingly downward toward the recoil bar.

17. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a recoil bar, a butt support carried by the. recoil bar, a fore-end supportcarriedby the recoil bar, a saddle to engage the rifle stock, resilient connections between the saddle and the recoil bar to hold the rifle stock yieldingly downward toward the recoil bar, and means to adjust the tension of said resilient means.

18. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination of a bar having a butt support and a fore-end support, a yoke,

a cradle in which the bar is mounted for longitudin 1 movG le??? a d cradle having scribed, the combination of a recoil bar havtrunnions pivotally mounted in said yoke, and means to raise or lower the'other-endof the "cradle.

119. In an apparatus of the character deing a butt su ort and a fore-end support, a 1c in w ch the recoil bar is mounted for longitudinal movement, an adjustable sto mounted on therecoil bar, and a recoil spring interposed between the cradle and the sto In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a bar having a butt support and a fore-end support, a cradle in which the bar is mounted, a fork having a ivot-al bearing for one end of the cradle, a ork having a pivotal bearing for the other end of the cradle, and means to raise and lower the last named fork.

21. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a. bar having a butt support and a fore-end su port, a cradle in which the bar is mounted a fork having a pivotal bearing for one end of the cradle, a fork having a pivotal bearing for the other end of the cradle, means to raise and lower the last named-fork and means to indicate the extent of such raising or lowering.

22. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a bar having a butt support and a fore-end sup rt, a

cradle in which the bar is mounted or longitudinal movement, a fork in which the cradle has a pivotal support on a horizontal axis, and means to rotate the fork on a vertical axis.

23. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a bar having a butt support and a fore-end support, a cradle in which the bar is mounted for lon- 'tudinal movement, a fork in which the cradle has a pivotal support, the fork being rotatable on a vertical axis and having a horizontal arm and means to swing the arm in a horizontal plane.

2i In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a bar having a butt support and a fore-end su port, a cradle in which the bar is mounte a fork in which'the cradle has a pivotal support, the fork bein rotatable on a vertical axis and having a orizontal arm, a second fork having a ivotal support for the other end of the cm 1e, and means carried by said arm for raising and lowering the second named fork. I

25. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally movable bar having a butt support and a fore-end support, means to support the bar with freedom to swin about a vertical axis, means to effect the horizontal traverse of the support, means to indicate the extent of the traverse, and an 'annunclator' device and a fore-end ,su port, the fore-end supattened' S-shaped spring,

portincluding a p against WhlCh the rifle may rest rlaterally, and means to exert pressure against one member of the ;S-shaped spring whereby another member is pressed against the;-

27. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a support for the rifle capable of swinging about a vertical axis for traversing the rlfle and having an extended arm, the length of the arm having a definite relation to a redetermined unit of range distance from t e muzzle and an annunciating device in operative relation with said means to announce each unit of movement of said last named means.

28. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a ride sup ort pivoted at one end, and means applie to said support at the other end to raise and lower the same, said support having a length between the pivot axis and the application of the elevating means which bears a definite relation to a predetermined unit of length of the range distance from the muzzle, and an annunciating device in operative relation with said means to announce each unit of movement of said last named means.

29. In an apparatus of the character 'described, the combination of a butt support having a side plate, a strap, bolts mounted in the side plate and having the ends of the strap en aged therewith, and means to adjust the olts.

30. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a butt support havin a side plate, a strap, bolts mounted in the si e plate and having the ends of the strap engaged therewith, means to adjust the bolts, and resilient members interposed between the side plate and said means.

31. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a butt support havlng a side plate, a strap, bolts mounted in the side plate and having the ends of the strap engaged therewith, means to adjust the bolts, and knife edged sleeves interposed between the side plate and said means and bearing against the former.

32. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a supporting bar for the rifle, a strap for engagement with the rifle, a plate engaged with the strap, a block on the bar, a threaded stem mounted in the block and carrying the plate, and a and engaged with in the side plate and having the ends of the stra engaged therewith, means to adjust the olts, and a spring interposed between the nut and the plate. g

34. In an apparatus of the character described, the-combination of a longitudinally, movable her having a butt support and a fore-end support, means to support the bar with freedom to swing about a vertical axis,

1o means to efiect the horizontal traverse of the support, means to indicate the extent of the traverse, means to support the bar with freedom to swing about a horizontal axis, means to eflectrthe movement of the bar about the horizontal axis, and means to indicate the extent of such movement.

This s ecification signed this 22 day of July A. 1921. 1

JAMES G. PHELPS STOKES." 

